Disobedience Means Death, page 1
part #1 of Rymellan Series
THE DANCE
The first story in Rymellan 1: Disobedience Means Death
Sarah Ettritch
PUBLISHED BY: Norn Publishing
The Dance
Copyright © 2008 Sarah Ettritch. All rights reserved.
You may share this file as is. You do NOT have permission to share a modified copy of this file.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Sarah Ettritch: http://www.sarahettritch.com
THE DANCE
Mo glanced at the time on her comm station and resisted the urge to drum her fingers against her desk. Class should have ended five minutes ago. If she didn’t get out soon, Les would give up on her and walk home by herself.
Instructor Daly lowered his pointer. “Pull up assignment two on your monitors, please.”
Everyone groaned.
“Be quiet,” Daly snapped. “You’ve only been out of the Indoctrination Academy a week and you’re already behaving like spoiled children.”
Mo wished she could shoot laser beams from her eyes and vaporize him. Why had she taken History, anyway? Fighter pilots didn’t need History. If she’d taken Advanced Law instead, she and Les would be in the same class. Advanced Law, though—ugh. Not right after the Indoctrination Academy. She wanted to be with Les, but she had her limits.
Daly started walking around the classroom, checking monitors. Uh-oh. Mo hit the key that would bring up the assignment and scanned the screen. A five hundred-word essay on the only Preeminent Ruler ever executed. How exciting. She flipped through the history text on her desk, trying to look as if she was already thinking about what she’d write.
Daly wandered by her. “Due Friday. No excuses.”
Friday! That was only two days away. As soon as she got home, she’d have to start working on the essay, get a couple of hours in before heading to the lake. She and Les had been talking about the lake for weeks; it would be their first night out in two years. No way was she skipping it for a stupid essay.
“Monitors off,” Daly said. “Dismissed.”
Mo flicked off her monitor, shoved the history text into her knapsack, and hustled into the corridor.
“Oh, Mo,” someone called. “Wait a second.”
She stopped and turned to see Patty and Evelyn walking toward her. Odd—usually they barely acknowledged her existence. She lowered her knapsack to the floor and waited.
“Are you going to the dance on Friday?” Patty asked.
Flaming Argamon, Patty wasn’t going to ask her to the dance, was she? “I’m going with Les.”
Patty and Evelyn exchanged glances. “Don’t you think it’s time you stopped being so clingy with Lesley?” Evelyn said.
“Give someone else a chance,” Patty added.
Evelyn leaned forward, hands on hips. “It’s not like you’re Chosens. Stop acting like you are.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Mo saw a third person hovering nearby, probably enjoying the show.
“I’ve tried to be polite, Mo,” Patty said. “But this is getting ridiculous. I’d like to take Lesley to the dance. I could have gone ahead and just asked her, but I figured I’d be nice and let you know first. And I’m sure you, being mature, will stand aside, right?”
“You know, Darren and I have been going together for a while, but we see other people,” Evelyn said. “We’re not Chosens. We don’t pretend we are.”
“It’s pathetic,” Patty said under her breath, but loud enough for Mo to hear.
Mo’s cheeks burned. “Les has never said anything about wanting to see other people.”
Patty’s face softened. “Oh, Mo. Lesley’s too kind to tell you.”
“She doesn’t want to hurt you,” Evelyn said, patting Mo’s arm.
“You poor thing,” Patty cooed. “I know this is difficult to hear. But everyone can see she wants a change.”
“Really?” Mo squeaked.
“Um, yes,” Evelyn said. “Have you had your eyes checked lately?”
Mo didn’t want to believe them, but it was hard not to when she had her own doubts about Les’s feelings for her.
Patty crossed her arms. “Give her some space if you don’t believe us. Tell her you won’t be going to the dance. You’ll see how quickly she goes with someone else.”
“I—I don’t know.”
“Are you afraid of what you’ll find out?” Evelyn asked.
“No.”
“Yeah, sure.”
The silent observer finally spoke. “She knows what she’ll find out. That’s why she won’t do it.”
Mo recognized the voice. Julia, always wanting to be in with the popular crowd. It figured that she’d side with these two airheads. “That’s not true,” Mo retorted.
“Then don’t be so immature,” Patty said, her mouth set. “Tell her you’re not going to the dance.”
But she and Les liked to dance, and they’d had few opportunities to do so at the Indoctrination Academy. They were looking forward to Friday night.
Evelyn sighed and looked at Patty. “I told you not to bother talking to her.”
Patty nodded. “Look, Mo, I’m asking Lesley to the dance, whether you like it or not. I’m sure she’ll leap at the chance to go out with someone else for a change, instead of having little Mo following her around all the time. If you really do care about her, stop thinking about yourself. Think of her. Let her out of her cage.” She motioned to Evelyn. “Come on, Ev. Let’s go.”
“Nice talking to you, shorty.” Evelyn patted Mo’s head as she walked past. Julia snickered and ambled after them.
Mo slung her knapsack over her shoulder and headed for the Learning Academy’s west exit. It was a longer route to Les, but she didn’t want to bump into Patty and company again. She tried to shrug off the unpleasant conversation—or rather, confrontation. Patty was obviously interested in dating Les, so nothing she said could be trusted. Of course Patty would say Les wanted a change. Of course she’d imply that dating one person exclusively was immature, even wrong. And it was no surprise that Evelyn had backed her up. If Evelyn was same-oriented, she’d probably be dating Patty, not helping her steal other people’s girlfriends.
Pushing the exit door open, Mo shielded her eyes until they’d adjusted to the sun. She set off for her and Les’s usual meeting spot, her mind still turning over the confrontation with Patty. Patty would have to find someone else to take to the dance. Let her ask Les—she’d only be humiliated. Mo was sure Les would say no. Les wouldn’t turn her back on their plans for the evening, would she?
Mo rounded a curve in the path and smiled. There was Les, sitting against a tree with her nose in a book. She stopped walking. Who was she trying to fool? Yes, she and Les had been dating for a while, but things had changed. Maybe when they’d started seeing each other, Les had been content with her plain best friend. But now . . . Les had blossomed. She was the prettiest girl at the Learning Academy. No, probably the prettiest girl in the entire sector. She was tall, and slim, and smart, and confident. Mo swallowed. She, on the other hand, had grown—what? A whole two inches in the past three years? She looked down at her chest. In some ways, not much at all. And pretty wasn’t a word anyone would use to describe her. She wasn’t ugly, but she certainly wasn’t anything special. And smart? Well, she wasn’t stupid, but she learned more through experience than she did from reading books.
Lately, she’d wondered if Les remained with her out of habit. After all, they’d known each other forever, lived next door to each other. Maybe Patty was right. Maybe Les was being kind. She could be biding her time, hoping circumstances would eventually force a breakup. They’d leave the Learning Academy in less than a year. Unless Les found the courage to stand up to her parents, she’d be off to college, not the Military Academy. Maybe that was why Les hadn’t pushed for them to see other people. In a year she’d be free, and without having to hurt anyone.
Or maybe Les was still in the relationship because she wanted to be? Mo desperately wanted to believe that, but how could she know for sure? Everyone else seemed to think Les felt trapped and wanted their relationship to end, or at least wanted the freedom to take out other girls. Mo bit her lip. Was she totally oblivious to signals Les was giving off, signals that were clear to everyone else? Was she only seeing what she wanted to see? How could she know? If you really do care about her, stop thinking about yourself. Tell her you’re not going to the dance. You’ll see how quickly she goes with someone else. . . . She knows what she’ll find out. That’s why she won’t do it.
No, she would do it. Not attending a dance together wouldn’t kill them, not if their relationship still existed because they both cared. She was mature—she could handle Les going on a date with someone else. It wasn’t as if they’d be spending the rest of their lives together—eventually the Chosen Council would end their relationship for them anyway. And if Les enjoyed herself at the dance and wanted to date others more often, Mo would rather know. Better to know the truth, even if it hurt, right? She squared her shoulders and resumed walking.
Les looked up from her book and smiled. Mo’s heart thumped. It always did when Les beamed at her, but this time apprehension and dread were helping it along.
“I was starting to wonder where you were.” Les tucked a bookmark into the book, carefully slid it int
Mo took a deep breath. “Actually, Les, I can’t go.”
Les stopped brushing and stared at her.
“I have to start an essay. It’s due Friday.”
“We’re not leaving for a few hours. You can start it before we go.”
“I know, but—”
“I’ve got homework, too. If we’re pressed for time, we’ll leave right after the sun’s gone down. Mo, we’ve been talking about the lake ever since we left the Indoctrination Academy. You can spare an hour, can’t you?”
Mo almost gave in. Lying next to Les at the lake watching the sun go down was right up there on her Things I Love to Do list, and it had been two years. But tonight it wouldn’t be the same, not after Patty and Evelyn. Now she’d wonder if Les was really enjoying herself, or wishing she was somewhere else—or with someone else. “Well, you see, the thing is, I think maybe we see a little too much of each other. We’re not Chosens. I mean, I like being with you, but we shouldn’t be too attached to each other, you know?”
“But we are attached to each other.” Les reached for her.
Mo stepped back. Her resolve would crumble if Les touched her.
Les stiffened and lowered her arms. “What’s wrong, Mo? Did I do something wrong, say something?”
“No. As I said, I like being with you, but we’re not Chosens. It would probably be better if our relationship was a little more casual.”
“Our notifications are at least seven years away,” Les said. “And we might be Solitaries. I hope not, but we might be.”
“We can’t count on being Solitaries. At least one of us probably isn’t.”
Les cocked her head to one side, puzzled. “Why are you suddenly concerned about it? You’ve never said anything before. Is it because you want to be with someone else?”
“No!”
“Then what?”
“Les, will you stop being so immature? We’re not Chosens. If you—if we want to take other people to the dance on Friday, we should be able to.”
Les gaped at her. “The dance? You won’t go to the dance with me, either?”
“I’m not sure I’m going. So if you want to take someone else, go ahead.”
“Will you be taking someone else?”
Not likely. Girls flirted with Les, not her. To think she’d thought for a split second that Patty was going to ask her . . . Not that she would have said yes. If she wasn’t going with Les, she didn’t want to go with anyone. Argamon! Was she doing the right thing, telling Les to take someone else? If you really do care about her, you’ll think of her instead of yourself. Tell her you’re not going to the dance. You’ll see how quickly she goes with someone else. Right. One dance wouldn’t kill them, remember? “I don’t know. Like I said, I’m not sure I’m going.”
“You won’t go with me?”
“No.”
Les stared into the distance, her lips trembling. Mo looked up at her, surprised and dismayed. Les looked like she might cry. Les hardly ever cried. The last time Mo remembered her crying was when they were eleven, when Les had fallen off her bike and ripped her knee open. “We can still see each other,” she added quickly, wishing she could take back every word she’d said in the last five minutes. “But maybe we shouldn’t be so clingy with each other.”
“Clingy,” Les echoed flatly. “I have to go.” She picked up her satchel and marched away.
Mo wanted to run after her and say, “Les, I’m sorry. I want to go to the lake with you, I want to go to the dance with you, I want to be with you more than anything!” But that would only make her look stupid. Okay, she was stupid, for listening to Patty and Evelyn, unless Les bounced back and danced Friday night away with someone else. Once Les calmed down and realized she was free to go with anyone, she’d probably jump at the chance to go with Patty. Everyone would see Les and Patty together and figure Les was available. Same-oriented girls at the academy would buzz around her, competing for her attention. Les would be on her comm unit constantly, fielding invitations. She’d quickly forget she’d ever been in a relationship. “Mo who?” she’d say, laughing with her new friends.
A sick feeling formed in the pit of Mo’s stomach. She blinked back tears. If this was what mature felt like, she’d stick with immature from now on.
*****
Lesley raised an egg sandwich to her lips, sighed, and put it back into her lunchbox. Egg sandwiches were her favourite—usually, she’d devour them and wish there were more. But usually Mo was here, too. She’d sat down at the picnic table hoping Mo would show up—a vain hope, as it turned out. She glanced at the empty place next to her and rubbed her eyes. Mo’s sudden change of heart mystified her.
She’d spent the previous evening going over what had happened yesterday, replaying the day from when she’d walked with Mo to the academy to when they’d had that horrible conversation. She must have said something, done something, to upset Mo, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
Yesterday, at this very spot, they’d talked about the lake and agreed that they were looking forward to it. Mo hadn’t known about the essay at the time—that is, if she’d even been assigned an essay. But even if she’d been telling the truth about her assignment, one hour at the lake wouldn’t have made much difference.
And then there was the dance. On their way to the academy, they’d laughed as they’d done a couple of practice whirls on the path. “I wonder if everyone will be as rusty as we are,” Mo had said, grinning. Why would she suddenly decide she didn’t want to go to the dance? Well, she’d said she probably wouldn’t go. She’d also made it clear that if she did go, she’d go alone or with someone else.
Lesley sighed again. Despite analyzing and re-analyzing every word they’d said yesterday, she honestly didn’t think she’d said anything terrible. But she must have hurt Mo. Why else would Mo suddenly decide that she wanted their relationship to be more casual? Lesley had considered the possibility that someone else had caught Mo’s eye, but that didn’t make sense. Mo wasn’t fickle, one of the reasons Lesley cared for her. She wouldn’t toss aside a three-year relationship because someone looked cute one afternoon. If things between them had cooled over time or they’d grown less content with each other, maybe Lesley could see Mo wanting to date others. But their relationship had seemed as strong as ever, and Mo wasn’t the type to bottle up a list of grievances and pretend everything was all right. So why, then? What had happened?
A shadow fell across the picnic table. Lesley’s breath quickened, but her shoulders sagged when she looked behind her.
“Mind if I join you?” Patty said.
“Go ahead,” Lesley replied, hoping the disappointment she felt wasn’t evident in her voice.
“No Mo today?” Patty asked as she lowered herself into Mo’s spot.
“She’s, uh, eating inside today. She’s working on an essay. Didn’t want any distractions. Including me.”
“Oh.”
Lesley picked at an imaginary thread on her sleeve.
“Nice day,” Patty said.
“Yes.”
“I hope the weather holds for tomorrow. Walking to the dance in the rain wouldn’t be much fun.”
“No.”
“Though the train station isn’t that far away. It’s only a couple of minutes’ walk to the academy. Less if you run,” Patty added with a smile.
“True.”
“But I’m not sure I’d want to risk tripping and falling into a puddle.”
Lesley searched for something to say that would consist of more than one word. “You probably wouldn’t trip,” was all she could manage. Why did she always have to be polite? She should have told Patty to sit somewhere else.
“Are you going to the dance?” Patty asked in a higher than usual voice.
“I don’t know.” Mo could still change her mind.
“Do you have a date for the dance?”
Lesley hesitated. She wanted to say yes, but Mo might not change her mind—or worse, go with someone else. Saying she had a date and then not showing up for the dance would start everyone gossiping. She’d already fibbed to Patty once. Twice would be asking for trouble. “No.” She briefly met Patty’s eyes, then looked away.
